Walk aerators having various types of ground engaging, soil aerating tools are known for soil aeration. Such aerators are operated by users who grip an upwardly and rearwardly extending handle assembly and walk on the ground behind the aerator during a soil aeration operation. Instead of walking on the ground, the user may be supported on an optional wheeled sulky attached to the aerator. In either case, the aerator is usually self-propelled over the ground by a traction drive system powered by a prime mover mounted on the aerator. While such aerators are effective in aerating smaller areas of turf, they have a number of shortcomings.
For one thing, certain aerator traction drive systems may include one or more transmissions, including hydrostatic or electric drive transmissions, which are substantially enclosed within the housing of the aerator to protect the drives and guard them from the user. The Applicants have found that such traction drive systems experience restricted air flow in certain circumstances which may lead to overheating of such drive systems. In addition, the user must generally be careful to not inadvertently extend his or her feet beneath the lower edge of the housing into contact with the aerating tools. Finally, various operational controls carried on the handle assembly of the aerator may be at less than optimal heights for a particular user given the differences in the anatomic heights of different users and whether a particular user is walking on the ground or is being transported on the sulky during a soil aeration operation. Accordingly, it would be an advance in the aerator art to overcome such shortcomings.